Mellon Curatorial Fellow

Williams College Museum of Art

The Williams College Museum of Art seeks a post-baccalaureate Mellon Curatorial Fellow. Reporting to the Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, this is a full-time, three-year term position designed to provide growth and development for an outstanding recent college graduate. The position offers in-depth curatorial and academic engagement experience and provides a professional bridge to long term museum careers for individuals from groups under-represented in the museum field.

The Mellon Fellow will serve as a critical member of an ambitious and collaborative curatorial and engagement team within a remarkable museum and college environment. Committed to racial equity in all that we do, the Williams College Museum of Art, makes dynamic art experiences to inspire new thinking about art, museums, and the world—and it does so from within the nation’s top ranked liberal arts college. A vibrant center for the arts at Williams, the Museum embodies the liberal arts’ ability to catalyze both creative and critical thinking. It is a vital hub for deep student learning and participation; for taking risks and testing creative, future forms of scholarship and teaching; and for boldly affirming the relevance of the history of art and the arts broadly. Visit our website: https://artmuseum.williams.edu/.

The museum is dedicated to providing a robust experience for an emerging curator. The Fellow will participate in the full range of curatorial activities and contribute the museum’s efforts to diversify its collections, exhibitions, and programs to best reflect the curriculum and the student body. This in-depth experience will ensure that the Fellow is mentored by all museum staff, including the deputy director for curatorial affairs, curators, engagement staff, and the museum director as well as faculty and staff on campus and connected with MA students in the Williams Graduate Program in the History of Art.

Williams College is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty and staff. The Mellon Fellow serves as an essential partner in developing a genuinely inclusive museum for the college and as a model for the field.

Primary responsibilities:

1. Participate actively in all aspects of a dynamic museum program
2. Support interdisciplinary curricular use of the museum’s collections
3. Contribute to the ongoing assessment, refinement, strengthening, and interpretation of collections
4. Undertake research and planning for exhibitions and collection installations and develop associated publications

Qualifications:

1. Bachelor’s degree in art history, cultural/global studies, visual anthropology or related field.
2. Deep interest in visual art and museum
3. Broad intellectual interests and commitment to art, learning, and the public
4. Excellent communication skills, including verbal, written and visual presentation skills
5. A commitment to working as part of a collegial, dynamic team and to forming partnerships in the particular environment of a small liberal arts college

Review of applications will begin on January 8, 2021 and continue until position is filled.

Employment at Williams is contingent on the verification of background information submitted by the applicant, including the completion of a criminal record check, fingerprinting, and education when applicable.

To apply for this position, please visit https://staff-careers.williams.edu. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via phone at (413) 597-4247 or email at hr@williams.edu.

Williams College is a coeducational liberal arts institution located in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts with easy access to the culturally rich cities of Albany, Boston, and New York City. The college is committed to building and supporting a diverse population of approximately 2000 students, and to fostering an inclusive faculty, staff, and curriculum.

Williams has built its reputation on outstanding teaching and scholarship and on the academic excellence of its students. Beyond meeting fully its legal obligations for non-discrimination, Williams College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community where members from all backgrounds can live, learn and thrive.